I've had an interesting couple of weeks concerning church callings, myself. I truly LOVED my calling as primary chorister, it was the best and pretty easy for me. I figured I'd be in it for a long time, because not many people in our ward have the musical background to feel comfortable in that calling (and several who do choose not to serve). But in December I kept feeling like I was going to be released, which I resisted mightily.
But, alas, the day Heber was blessed I was called to meet with the bishop (who turned out to have a little emergency and handed me off to his counselors--both of them), and I was released as chorister and called...as CAMP DIRECTOR! Yay! I probably scared the counselors because I almost yelled, "Yes! I will accept this calling! Woo-HOO!" (Okay, not quite the woo-hoo. But close.)
If I had to be released as chorister, this was the best calling I could think of. Yay camp! I started thinking about themes, camping sites (oooh, Payson Lakes would be fun, we could rent a paddleboat or kayaks or something...), the girls, etc. I even talked with the YW president and her counselors at playgroup, and we decided "virtue" would be the theme, and the colors would be...etc etc. They were excited that I was excited--last year they asked for something like five different women before someone finally agreed to be camp director--clear in May, I think, was when someone was called. So, anyway, I was pretty darn thrilled about this calling.
I tried to ignore the odd conversation I'd had with the newly-released primary president one Sunday--she mentioned that she was getting a new calling, too, and that maybe my new calling wasn't going to be the one I thought it was. (The one I'd already been extended.)
Then last Saturday night the ward executive secretary called and asked that I meet with Bishop the next morning. I felt my doom approaching. Something was just not right, and I knew it. Darn it! Sure enough, when I met with the second counselor (Bishop Davis ditched me again--he was really sick that day), I was un-called to the position of camp director.
It was actually pretty funny. Remember, he had been the one to extend the original call, and knew just how excited I was. So he was all cautious and apologetic. Of course I told him it was fine, that I was disappointed but I understood, and I'd serve wherever, etc. They are reorganizing the Relief Society, and the former primary president was to be the new RS president, and she wanted me to be the first counselor (education). Sigh. Not as much fun as girls camp, that's for sure.
The funniest thing is how much everyone around me resisted this calling. Apparently when Suzanne first asked for me, the bishop said no. She then asked again, and he said they'd pray about it. Later, he told Suzanne that the answer was yes, but they still weren't happy about it. The counselor told me that when the bishop told him about the change, he warned Bishop Davis that I wasn't going to like this. And the executive secretary is married to the first counselor in the YW, and when he told her that I wasn't going to be camp director, she told
him they couldn't do that, and that he needed to tell the bishop he couldn't do that.
And yet here I am. I'm glad that the bishop knew he could call me to whatever, and I'm flattered that so many people were worried about my reaction. We'll be sustained next week (this week was Stake Conference), and then the fun will really begin. It will be interesting, that's for sure. We have a lot of funerals in this ward...
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!Thank you!
